Power Rankings: Cards flying high in Central

Raise your hand if you thought Bartolo Colon would be 6-1 at this point, with an almost unexplainable 40 1/3 innings streak of issuing zero walks.

Raise your hand if you thought the Astros and Twins would have two of the best records in the league a month into the season. Or that the Athletics would have one of the worst and can't seem to string together even two errorless games.

It seems the least wacky development since we last discussed rankings was Bryce Harper's six home runs in three games, which has resulted in the Nationals starting to look more like the Nationals and less like the club that had an underwhelming first month, by Nats standards.

The top of our MLB.com Power Rankings presented by The All-New Chrysler 200 hasn't changed much from last week, but further down, you'll find some newcomers. We're looking at you, Braves, and your surprisingly punchy roster. And the Twins, with their 8-2 mark in their last 10 games.

Video: TEX@TB: Odorizzi fans seven, holds Rangers to one run

Biggest jump: Rays. Unranked last week, 11th this week. Maybe we've been so focused on the A-Rod drama and the Red Sox somewhat futile (so far) quest to go worst-to-first again that we haven't paid enough attention to a very solid Rays club. They're facing significant time without Drew Smyly, but Jake Odorizzi is a force at the top of the rotation, and the offense is starting to come together.

Biggest fall: Red Sox. Ninth last week, 19th this week. The season is still young, but the shakeup has begun. The pitching coach was let go. The roster was shuffled: hello Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Steven Wright; goodbye Allen Craig and Robbie Ross Jr. They Sox are still within a stone's throw of .500, but good starts by the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays have pushed Boston to fourth place in the AL East.

Our Top 5:

1. Cardinals: Is it possible to run away with a division one month into a season? Michael Wacha is 5-0. The offense, short in the power supply a year ago, is suddenly hitting homers with authority. We could go on and on, but the gist of it is the obvious -- everything is working for the Cardinals right now, which has helped them build a 6 1/2 game lead in a division expected to be one of the most competitive in the NL this year.

2. Dodgers: They've already made 40 roster moves, and the season is barely a month old. They're piecing things together and aren't quite sure how they're going to fill the back end of the rotation. Yet the Dodgers continue to win with enough depth, pitching and defense to overcome absences elsewhere. They may benefit from their recent snow-out in Denver, too, as it accomplishes two things: pushes back the date that they'll need a fifth starter, and it rested the bullpen.

3. Royals: What haven't we said yet? This isn't just a "fast start" anymore. The Royals are well-balanced, talented and proving on a daily basis why they believe this team is better than last year's pennant-winning one.

Video: HOU@LAA: Altuve belts solo homer to open the scoring

4. Astros: They were the first AL team to reach 20 wins and are still the only team in the AL West with a record above .500. The pitching, with an emphasis on the much-improved bullpen, is still a strength, and it's more likely than not that we'll see shortstop Carlos Correa, three years removed from being the overall No. 1 pick in the Draft, at some point this season. This is a flawed team, but in the AL West? The Astros are absolutely contenders.

5. Tigers: The Tigers sort of remind us of the Dodgers, in that they are dealing with significant injuries to key players, yet there they are fighting it out with the Royals for the top spot in the AL Central. So far, we'll take the Tigers' at their word that David Price's hamstring issue is minor. But concerns about the rotation continue to linger, despite it not having a lasting affect on the win-loss record -- yet.

And the rest: 6. Mets (7th), 7. Yankees (6th), 8. Nationals (13th), 9. Padres (10th), 10. Blue Jays (17th), 11. Rays (NR), 12. Cubs (8th), 13. Twins (NR), 14. Giants (18th), 15. Marlins (15th), 16. Orioles (12th), 17. Reds (19th), 18. Angels (14th), 19. Red Sox (9th), 20. Braves (NR)